Tyme Group

What Tyme Group does

Tyme Group is a Singapore-headquartered, multi-country digital banking group that operates consumer-facing neobanks under the GoTyme Bank brand in South Africa (formerly TymeBank, launched February 2019) and the Philippines (launched October 2022 in partnership with the Gokongwei Group). The group serves over 22 million customers across these two anchor markets — primarily mass-market, underbanked, and unbanked consumers plus SMEs — using a hybrid distribution model that combines self-serve mobile apps with physical kiosks deployed inside partner retail networks such as SM Group in the Philippines and Edgars and PEP Stores in South Africa. GoTyme Bank also operates an SME merchant cash advance business (anchored by the December 2022 acquisition of Retail Capital, South Africa's largest digital SME lender) and a Buy-Now-Pay-Later product called MoreTyme, while GoTymeX (formerly TymeX) functions as the group's shared technology, product, and data platform deployed across markets. The group is expanding into Vietnam, Indonesia (where a retail bank entry is actively planned), and Hong Kong, where it has secured a moneylender's licence.

Revenue is generated primarily through net interest income on personal loans and credit products, supplemented by transaction and interchange fees on card and payment activity, BNPL merchant-funded and installment economics, and SME merchant cash advance interest income. The group leverages AI-powered credit scoring and real-time fraud detection to underwrite thin-file customers in markets where traditional credit infrastructure is limited, and its cloud-native platform architecture is designed to enable rapid country-by-country replication. TymeBank South Africa reached profitability in December 2023 with an annualised revenue run rate of SG$215 million, and the group achieved unicorn status in December 2024 via a US$250 million Series D led by Nubank at a US$1.5 billion valuation; leadership has publicly indicated preparation for an IPO targeting a US$15 billion valuation.

Name

Tyme Group

Legal name

Tyme Pte. Ltd.

Website

https://tyme.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Tyme Group is a Singapore-headquartered multi-country digital banking group operating GoTyme Bank in South Africa and the Philippines, serving over 22 million mass-market and underbanked consumers and SMEs through mobile apps and retail-partner kiosks. It generates revenue primarily via net interest income, transaction fees, BNPL, and SME lending, and is expanding into Indonesia, Vietnam, and Hong Kong.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Banking

NAICS

Offices of Bank Holding Companies (551111)

SIC

National Commercial Banks (6021)

akta.pro primary industry

Underbanked/Financial Inclusion Neobanks (FSABAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Banking & Neobank Platforms (BPAMAFAD), Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) Platforms (BPAMAFAG), BaaS Platforms & Sponsor Bank Enablement (FSAGALAA), Digital Wallet Infrastructure (Tokenization, Wallet-as-a-Service) (FSAMAEAI)

Keywords

• Digital banking services
• Consumer lending
• Buy now pay later
• SME merchant lending
• Emerging market fintech

Headquarters

HQ city

Singapore

HQ country

Singapore

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Net Interest Income (Lending): TymeBank generates revenue primarily through interest income on personal loans, credit products, and other lending facilities extended to retail customers. This constitutes the largest revenue driver as the bank scaled its loan book.
2. Transaction and Interchange Fees: Fee income from payment processing, card transactions, and digital payment services across its customer base. Earned on each transaction processed through the platform.
3. Digital Banking Services: Revenue from a broad suite of digital-first banking products including savings accounts, money transfers, and bill payments for mass-market customers.
4. BNPL (Buy Now, Pay Later): GoTyme Bank offers BNPL capabilities generating merchant-funded transaction revenue and interest income on installment loans.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Tyme Group is a multi-country digital banking group that builds and operates full greenfield digital banks serving mass-market and underbanked consumers, SMEs, and retail merchants in emerging markets. Its core offerings are fee-free digital current and savings accounts, personal loans, money transfers and bill payments, BNPL (MoreTyme), government grant early access (Grant Advance), and SME/merchant cash advance lending, delivered through proprietary mobile apps, retail-partner point-of-sale kiosks, and the GoTymeX shared technology platform.

Product overview

Tyme Group operates as a multi-country digital banking group serving emerging markets through a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core platform is GoTymeX (formerly TymeX), which provides the shared technology foundation, product design, data analytics, and engineering capabilities deployed across multiple country operations. In South Africa, the company operates GoTyme Bank (formerly TymeBank), offering fee-free digital banking through a hybrid model of self-service kiosks in retail stores and a mobile banking app. In the Philippines, GoTyme Bank operates as a joint venture with the Gokongwei Group, providing similar digital banking services with kiosks in shopping malls. The product suite includes specialized lending products: Grant Advance (government grant early access), MoreTyme (Buy-Now-Pay-Later), and Merchant Cash Advance (SME funding). The group has expanded to Indonesia and Hong Kong, with plans for additional markets including Vietnam. The company recently executed a brand consolidation, unifying operations under the GoTyme name to support cross-border expansion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GoTymeX: Multi-country technology and product development engine providing design, technology, and data analytics to in-country banks
• Retail Capital
• MoreTyme
• Grant Advance

Products and services

• GoTyme Bank South Africa (formerly TymeBank) Full-service digital retail bank for South African consumers and SMEs, offering fee-free transactional accounts, savings, personal loans, money transfers, bill payments, and card services via a mobile app and in-store kiosks at retail partners such as Edgars and PEP.
• GoTyme Bank Philippines Digital retail bank in the Philippines offering fee-free accounts, savings, transfers, bill payments, and lending through a mobile app and kiosks in SM Group shopping malls, operated as a joint venture with the Gokongwei Group.
• GoTymeX (formerly TymeX) Multi-country technology and product development platform (formerly TymeX) that provides the shared digital banking design, engineering, and data analytics capabilities deployed across Tyme Group's country-level banks.
• MoreTyme (Buy-Now-Pay-Later) Buy-Now-Pay-Later product offered to South African consumers for retail purchases in-store and online, accepted at thousands of merchant locations.
• Grant Advance Early access facility for South African government-to-person grant recipients, allowing them to draw grant funds ahead of the official payout date with no additional fees or interest.
• Merchant Cash Advance Unsecured working-capital funding product for SMEs and merchants, providing advances against future sales; available in South Africa, Philippines, and Indonesia, with TymeBank funding over 50,000 businesses.
• Retail Capital South Africa's largest digital SME lender, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tyme Group providing unsecured merchant funding to small businesses.
• SAVii Salary lending service in the Philippines acquired by GoTyme Bank, providing employee salary advance and lending products to Filipino workers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reached profitability — TymeBank South Africa became one of the first digital banks in Africa to achieve profitability
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Endeavor South AfricacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024TymeBank South Africa was selected by Endeavor South Africa as a high-growth scale-up company, joining Endeavor's global network of entrepreneurs. Endeavor provides mentorship, access to capital, and strategic support to help TymeBank accelerate its growth across Africa.
• SM Group (SM Investments Corporation)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023SM Group, one of the largest conglomerates in the Philippines operating retail (SM Stores, SM Supermarkets), real estate, and financial services, became a key partner for GoTyme Bank. SM Retail's extensive store network serves as primary customer acquisition touchpoints for GoTyme Bank, with POS account-opening services deployed across SM stores nationwide.
• Edgars and PEP Stores (South Africa)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2022Edgars and PEP are major South African retail chains. TymeBank deployed point-of-sale account opening stations in these stores, allowing walk-in customers to open bank accounts with the assistance of retail staff. This retail-physical distribution model was instrumental in rapidly scaling TymeBank's customer base in South Africa.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Banco Inter: Brazilian digital bank offering a full-stack of consumer, SME, and investment products across an integrated super-app. Comparable to Tyme Group as a LatAm emerging-market digital banking platform, though serving a different geography.

Direct peers

• WeBank: China's first internet-only bank, backed by Tencent — a major Tyme Group shareholder — and serving hundreds of millions of underbanked consumers with AI-driven credit decisioning. Highly comparable on AI-based thin-file lending, cloud-native architecture, and Tencent strategic-backing model.
• UnionDigital Bank: UnionBank of the Philippines' digital banking subsidiary, one of the licensed Philippine digital banks. Directly competes with GoTyme Bank Philippines for digitally native Filipino consumers and SMEs under the BSP's digital banking framework.
• M-Pesa: Safaricom-operated mobile money and financial-services platform serving tens of millions across Africa. Comparable to Tyme Group's African footprint as a digital financial-inclusion platform targeting underbanked populations, with an overlapping customer-acquisition strategy.
• Maya Bank: Philippines-licensed digital bank built off PayMaya's payments base, offering savings, credit, and crypto to mass-market Filipino consumers. Directly competes with GoTyme Bank Philippines for digital banking customers and deposits under the same BSP license regime.
• Kakao Bank: South Korea's largest internet-only bank, spun out of KakaoTalk, serving 20M+ customers with digital banking, lending, and brokerage. Closely comparable to Tyme Group as a mobile-first Asian neobank scaled via super-app distribution.
• Tonik Bank: Singapore-headquartered, Philippines-licensed digital neobank offering deposits, loans, and payments to underserved Filipino consumers. Directly competes with GoTyme Bank Philippines under the same BSP digital banking framework.
• GCash: Dominant Philippine e-wallet and digital financial services platform (operated by Mynt/Globe Fintech Innovations). Competes with GoTyme Bank Philippines for underbanked Filipino consumers across payments, savings, and credit, and has expanded into digital banking-adjacent products.
• Kuda Bank: Nigeria's largest digital bank, serving underbanked African consumers with mobile banking, payments, and credit. Comparable to Tyme Group on the African financial-inclusion thesis and digital-first distribution model.
• Nubank: Latin America's largest neobank, serving underbanked and unbanked consumers across Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia. Directly comparable to Tyme Group as an emerging-markets digital banking platform with a shared customer-acquisition philosophy, and is now Tyme's lead Series D investor and strategic partner.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tymeglobal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors18 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tyme Group